The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-04-18
WOOL TARIFF.
It's Many Evaslons-The Weak Points In
tho Law.


tho Law.
7t1as LIE Stock. ~ -Na 1-'qH
In recent issue wo called tho attention
oisheepmen to the protest OF the phila.
delphia Wool Merchants' Association
against the entry Of so.called ring waste as
waste, nj 1Oc pound duty, when 1t
allould be clafsed rs secured wool and pay
30c q pound. We fad that the waste
when honestly made Is very small per.
centage Of the wool uaed in making
worBted, but that byA slight change In
tho machinery the whole production OF
some milla Ia converted into waate at n
trihtng expenae and cent to this country,
evadiug tho duty. There is another
point that the Philadelphia Wool Asao
citation have protested against and have
succeeded In forcing into the courts
for settlement, and that 10, the
importation Of wool tops as secured
wool at 800 pound duty, instead
Of manufactured article payinga much
larger duty. Tops arc cold In England
and In this country as q manufacture, but
the Treasury incl.nes to their being
occurred wool In q raw state. Tops are o
state OF preparation OF worsted yarn and
no more raw material than yarn would be
or even goods, Gooda could be still eG-
ysuCed into clothing 90 well IS tops into
yarn. Another weak point in the tariil Is
tho third Class or carpet wool. Over
100 900. 600 pounds are imported In one
lyear, 10 per cent Of which Ia used Tor
clothing purposes, making moro goods
than tho clip Of Texas and California com.
bined, We have now in our Office n sam.
pic OF East India secured wool, imported
at &c pound duty and cost under CSC a
pound, which is equal in quality to Home
81 our light conditioned low medium
woods and which our ehoepmen would
have TO sell at 10; pound to be on the
same basis.
ihefe ts 6 movement among the wool.
growers In the north and west on tho tariff
question; and while they feel they arc mol
properly protected, they do not ask for an
increase OF duty, but tina. the preBen,
tariff shall BIO 80 equalizsd that It's inten'
tion8 cannot be violated. We mention q
few points: First, clothing woola pay one
rate for unwashed wool, double ior wash
ed and treble for secured. Therefore moi
4 single pound OF washed clothing ia i'm.
ported to this country, os by calling i,
CombiDg they pay only half the duty Of
clothing. The greateet wrong, however,
is in carpet wool, as 90 per cent OF the im'
portat,oue are need ior clothing instead OIL
carpets, and the importers, not satistied
with this, swindlo onr growers by securing
wool with alkalies and hot water, leaving
about to 10 per cent natural impurity in
and paying only the same duty that they
would pay il imported in the unwa9hed
state, that is, Sc a pound, or equal to II!
4 pound on grease wool, very triains
protection to our groTers-in fact none
9s tho wool can be brought into this
county for half the cost OF freight from
Texas 10 Philadelphia or Bostou. The
| WEs;ern growers viii ask next session OF
Congress that all waehed woola shslS pay
double the duty Of unwsshed, and all
occurred woods treble, also that wool
washed in any other way than on tbs
sleeps back ahall BE- called secured, and
that any wool containing le6a than u per
cent natural purity shalt be clNeHGd as
scoured. They AK that was!o valued 81
oRe-third OF the value Of the wool it ia
made from shall pay 80 cents pound
duty. Tiris for two reGgons; one to pre-.
vent tho evasion Ct duly ~ at presori, The
other, il it is really '"aBte they wsnt it cx.
Guided from the country, as it Should no
! more BIZ put in goods than sand in sugar
| or alum in flour.
Weare informed that with these changes
Texas wool would readily cell in hclne
mNr kutg ar ~ IN q r.,,tc for tvnI W.
! monthH clips, " 70 IS cents for six-mouthF,
! which would very puch 1rliovo this de.
pressed industEy. Il TOuld make but
lille difference in the cost Of 3 suit OF
clothes, us elk TO ten pounds OF wool
makes Il suit, increasing the coat SO TO IS
cent? a suit.